Shimla civic body has no funds to develop parks

SHIMLA - The Municipal Corporation of Shimla has no funds to set up recreational places for the children and the public.

This came to light from a reply filed by the corporation in the Himachal Pradesh High Court Thursday.

A copy of the reply was provided to the media Friday.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Kurian Joseph and Justice Rajeev Sharma last month took cognizance of a letter written by a 10-year-old girl to the chief justice.

She urged him to ensure that a playground is provided to children in the town so that they are not glued to the TV all the time.

“There are different places which could be developed into children’s park or public park or playground by the corporation but it has no sufficient funds,” said the reply.

Justice Joseph and Justice V.K. Sharma heard the case Thursday.

“In the absence of parks and playgrounds, the schoolchildren are forced to watch television… The government should create such facilities (in Shimla),” Vipasha, a Class 5 student, wrote in a two-page letter.

“Today Shimla is a concrete jungle with no parks, open spaces or grounds for children, forcing them to remain glued to television, which we know is not good for our health,” she added.

Planned for a maximum population of 16,000, the Queen of Hills, as Shimla was fondly called by the British, now has more than 200,000 residents.

High-rise buildings and other development projects have gobbled up much of its green patches, besides leading to the problems of water scarcity and parking.